Lampard's Chelsea career looked to be over when the club confirmed his present deal, which expires in the summer, would not be extended.

The midfielder, who scored a stunning goal for England in the 2-1 win over Brazil on Wednesday, has maintained he would love to extend his stay at Chelsea but that the situation was out of his hands.

Lampard has been in fine form for Chelsea since shaking off an injury and the Mail claims tentative talks have already taken place. The paper has quoted a Stamford Bridge source as saying the talks were “positive” and that further discussions are planned in the coming weeks.

Lampard, as a free agent in the summer, is free to speak to foreign clubs and Chelsea would need to thrash out a deal in the near future if they wanted to keep the 34-year-old.

Asked about the reports, Chelsea head of communications Steve Adkins told Sky Sports News that the club "does not comment on speculation".

The England international, who has been a Chelsea player for 12 years, is second on the club's all-time goalscorer list behind Bobby Tambling.